Publised on 20/12/2020. Last Updated on 18/09/2024 by Richard
Super smooth vegan rosemary gelato with crisp, golden pecan brittle. The perfect blend for a delicious festive frozen dessert!
Who's tootin' their festive horn for this vegan rosemary gelato, studded with crisp golden pecan brittle?? The answer, as I'm sure you've guessed, IS EVERYONE!
Look, I'm sure some people will snarl at the thought of a frozen dessert in the depths of winter - BUT LET EM SNARL! This is without doubt the most festive dessert I've enjoyed in YEARS! Now more than ever, folks, we need this dessert!
TOMORROW'S HEADLINE: CHRISTMAS 2020 SAVED FROM BRINK BY VEGAN GELATO FEATURING UNUSUAL FLAVOUR COMBO!
ROSEMARY?? IN A GELATO??
But of course, my friend! Why WOULDN'T you like a vegan rosemary gelato?? Sure, we all associate rosemary with savoury meals, but this is just habit, trust me. There's something tear-jerkingly festive about rosemary in a sweet context, particularly when combined with smooth, brown sugar and a gentle hint of cinnamon and toasted pecans.
This isn't an amateur's opinion - oh no! Some of you might know that I used to run an ice cream company, long ago before I was vegan. I used to call this flavour "Garden Gate" and it was one of my top three best sellers.
So take my word for it - it's going to blow your mind!
How do I MAKE vegan rosemary gelato??
I've whittled this recipe down to only the ESSENTIAL ingredients and processes. Most non-vegan ice cream and gelato recipes involve making a custard with either eggs or corn starch (or both) and bringing it to JUST the right temperature, then carefully cooling before churning.
This recipe, you'll be glad to know, is MUCH easier. As always, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page, but here's a quick breakdown of the process for you!
Infuse the Rosemary!
I like to get the rosemary involved RIGHT from the start, to make sure we get a big, bold flavour. Combine your two milks (we're using soy milk and coconut milk - but don't worry, you won't taste the coconut) and bring them SUPER close to a simmer. Don't ACTUALLY let them start bubbling as it'll affect the texture of the ice cream.
Add your nice big sprigs of fresh rosemary, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Let it sit for an hour at least, so all that flavour can mingle with the milks!
Combine with Remaining Ingredients!
We're now going to add the remaining ingredients. All of them should be super familiar to you, except maybe one: Liquid Lecithin. Sounds like something from Harry Potter, but it aint. Lecithin is an ingredient which occurs naturally in egg yolks, soya, sunflower seeds and all sorts of other plants. It's used as an emulsifier, which means it helps fats and liquids stay blended together.
It sounds spooky, but its actually considered a health food ingredient. In fact, if you're wondering where to buy it, start at your local health food store.
Blend everything together until you have a super smooth mixture.
Chill and Churn!
Before popping the mixture in your ice cream machine (yes, you will need an ice cream machine for this recipe) you'll need to chill it to fridge temperature.
I like to chill my gelato mixture in the blender container so that, when it's cool, I can blend it again to make sure it's super smooth going into the ice cream machine. You can obviously transfer the mixture to a bowl if this makes life easier. You do you sis!
Once it's chilled, transfer the mixture to your ice cream machine and GET CHURNIN! This can take a vastly different amount of time depending on your machine, so I like to suggest you churn until the gelato resembles a thick soft-serve. Now transfer the gelato to the freezer and let it hard-freeze!
And then you eat it!!
This gelato should be scoopable straight from the freezer, even after it's had a good 5 hours of hard-freezing. So warm up a mince pie and scoop this guy right on top! Vegan rosemary gelato - need I say more??
Need more festive vegan recipes??
Then you came to the right place! Why not give these bad boys a try!?
Hard Ginger Vinbärssaft (Redcurrant Cordial Cocktail)
Vegan Rosemary Gelato with Pecan Brittle
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
- ice cream machine
Ingredients
For the Rosemary Gelato
- 300 ml soy milk
- 300 g coconut milk (the kind from a can - must be 15% fat or higher)
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 120 g coconut oil (deodorised or "refined" coconut oil is necessary as it has no coconut flavour)
- 270 g light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon liquid lecithin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Pecan Brittle
- 90 g light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch flaky sea salt
- 75 g pecans
Instructions
To Make the Rosemary Gelato
- Place the soy milk and coconut milk in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to the brink of boiling (steam should begin to rise from the surface) but do not allow the mixture to boil.
- Immediately turn off the heat, add the rosemary, cover with a lid and leave to infuse for minimum one hour.
- Once infused the mixture should be much cooler and very fragrant. Remove the rosemary and discard. Sieve the mixture (to ensure no rosemary needles remain) and transfer it to a high-speed blender.
- To the blender, add the melted coconut oil, light brown sugar, lecithin and vanilla extract. Blend on the highest speed until the mixture is completely smooth. Keeping the mixture in the blender container, place in the fridge for at least one hour to chill, ensuring it's covered tightly with a lid. While the mixture chills, make the pecan brittle.
To Make the Pecan Brittle
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment and set aside. Place a large frying pan over low heat and add the light brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- Using a heat proof spatula (ideally silicone) stir the mixture constantly. The sugar will appear to do nothing for a while but will then begin to melt and caramelise very quickly, so do not leave the pan.
- As soon as the caramel mixture begins to bubble (only a few seconds after melting fully) add the pecans and stir to coat them quickly. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly (but carefully) pour the caramel covered pecans onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Leave the pecan brittle to cool completely for at least half an hour. Once it's cool and completely firm, chop it roughly into pieces. Place in and bowl and set in the fridge for later.
To Churn and Assemble the Gelato
- Place a freezer-proof container with a tight fitting lid into the freezer to chill in advance. The container should hold at least a 1 litre capacity.
- Remove the chilled gelato mixture from the fridge and blend again until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine. Churn the mixture according to your machine's instructions or until it is the consistency of a thick soft serve.
- Remove the gelato from the ice cream machine and, working quickly, scoop out a quarter directly into your chilled freezer-proof container. Sprinkle over a quarter of the pecan brittle. Repeat this layering process until all the gelato is in the container, topped with the remaining pecan brittle. Cover with the lid and freeze immediately for a minimum of 5 hours (you can eat the gelato immediately but the texture is far superior once "hard-frozen").
- When ready to serve, remove the gelato from the freezer and scoop away!
